Arc Raiders is a multiplayer extraction adventure set on a lethal future Earth overrun by a mechanized threat called ARC. Its progression model is built around “Projects,” and the first big one you’ll encounter at level 20 is the Expedition Project — a voluntary character reset designed to recreate the rush of a fresh start without forcing wipes on everyone.

Expedition Project timeline (8-week cadence)

Expeditions run on a repeating cycle of roughly eight weeks:

  • Weeks 1–7: You work through multiple stages of the Expedition Project. It’s a sizable time investment by design.
  • Week 8: A one-week “finalization window” opens. If you’ve finished all required stages, you can commit to the Expedition and trigger your reset.
  • Missed the window? Your progress is preserved for the next cycle’s finalization week; you don’t start over.

Other Projects tied to updates, holidays, or events will arrive over time with different scales and reward structures, but Expedition is the flagship reset path at launch.

What resets and what carries over

Choosing to complete an Expedition resets your character’s in-world progression while preserving your account-level identity and purchases. Here’s the breakdown:

Category Kept after Expedition? Notes
Character level No Returns to baseline as part of the fresh start.
Skills No All character skill progress is reset.
Items and inventory No All gear and loot are lost on reset.
Workshop No Any workshop progress does not carry over.
Crafting capabilities No Crafting progression is wiped with the character.
Cosmetics (earned or purchased) Yes Outfits, backpacks, emotes, and similar remain tied to your account.
Awards and achievements Yes Account-level accomplishments are preserved.
Rankings Yes Meta progression and standings remain.
Real-money purchases Yes Anything connected to monetization is not removed.
Onboarding/tutorial Skip enabled Post-Expedition, you can bypass most early unlocks and tutorials.

After an Expedition, you keep the convenience features unlocked for early play. That means you can jump to the meat of the game faster on your fresh run.

How the reset becomes available

Projects unlock at level 20. Completing the Expedition Project makes a one-time character reset available during its finalization week. If you want to reset again later, you’ll need to finish another Expedition Project in a future cycle. This keeps the reset as an earned option rather than a toggle you can flip at any time.

Incentives for opting in

Embark designed Expedition to reward the players who enjoy resetting without giving them combat advantages over those who don’t. Benefits focus on identity and quality-of-life:

  • Permanent account unlocks for each completed Expedition
  • Unique cosmetic rewards tied to Expedition completions
  • Time-limited account buffs for the next Expedition cycle, with magnitude increasing for sequential completions up to a cap

Crucially, Expedition rewards are not intended to grant power or combat edges. Expect cosmetics, bragging rights, and progression smoothers rather than stat boosts that would tilt firefights.

Why voluntary, not mandatory, wipes

A universal wipe can rebalance an economy and put everyone back on even footing, but it also erases progress for players who can’t log in as often. Expedition splits the difference: committed players can regularly restart on a predictable cadence and earn account-level rewards, while others can keep building a single character uninterrupted. The studio has signaled that specifics may evolve between launch and post-launch, but the core aim is to value player time while still offering the thrill of fresh starts.

Release day and preload basics

Arc Raiders launches globally on October 30 at 09:30 UTC. Here are key local times:

Time zone (city) Local time Date
PDT (Los Angeles) 02:30 Oct 30
CST (Mexico City) 03:30 Oct 30
EDT (New York) 05:30 Oct 30
BRT (São Paulo) 06:30 Oct 30
GMT/UTC (London) 09:30 Oct 30
CET (Stockholm) 10:30 Oct 30
EEST (Cairo) 11:30 Oct 30
AZT (Baku) 13:30 Oct 30
IST (New Delhi) 15:00 Oct 30
ICT (Hanoi) 16:30 Oct 30
JST (Tokyo) 18:30 Oct 30
AEDT (Sydney) 20:30 Oct 30

Preload is live on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with a PC download of roughly 33GB. If you pre-ordered on console, find Arc Raiders in your library and choose the preload/download option. On Steam, the library entry will present a “Preload” button once your purchase is registered.

Note: preload availability on specific PC storefronts may vary by region and platform.

What to do if you’re on the fence

You don’t have to reset. Expedition is optional, earned, and on a predictable schedule. If you want the social energy of a fresh economy and new starts, the eight-week cadence gives you a reliable window to plan around. If you prefer steady, uninterrupted progression, you can ignore Expedition entirely and keep building your character. Either way, account identity — cosmetics and meta rewards — remains intact.

The Expedition Project is a deliberate attempt to give reset-curious players an opt-in loop while respecting everyone else’s time. Expect tuning to continue as cycles roll, but the shape is clear: repeatable fresh starts, meaningful account rewards, and no combat advantage for opting in.